Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I am like many others that when I hear the word Sin..I understand its meaning..At least I tought I did..but not until this day, was I able to grasp the shere power of Sin and it's Rule here on Earth..I guess what is different today than yesterday regarding sin is the very power that it beholds..It is not just bad, or evil or wrong doing..Oh no..Sin is much more powerful and creative than the mere breaking of God's commands..I came to the understanding as I was studying Romans and seeking to uncover the "newness of life" that Paul speaks of so fervently. It was this study that led to this blog about Sin and its effect on us and it Mastery.. When I read the word Mastery..I took pause..It shook me up inside..It caused a great degree of anguish in my soul to hear that Sin has Mastery over all Creation until we come to accept Christ as our Saviour, our Lord.. Let the word Mastery ramble around in your mind for a few minutes and see what comes to light with just this word.. Mastery - The art of perfecting , to be above , the ultimate.. This is what comes to my mind and to associate this with Sin just floored me.. Can sin really have Mastery over us? Most certainly...but what does that mean..? It means it can not be defeated by yourself..You can not conquer and defeat a master without knowing the Only One WHO has already defeated this Master that has been relegated to earth and banished from Perfection in Heaven.. It is with Christ that we have Victory..and only then.. We are likening our battle with Satan and his demonic sword of Sin like us fighting a 12 degree black belt and expecting to win..It is laughable to satan and just exactly what he wants you to believe..That you can "go it" alone..You dont need any help from anyone..That is deception in its truest form.. It is now my perfected understanding of Sin that I can see my desperate need for Christ..What a blessing..for me anyway to see my need for Christ thru the eyes of Sins power..Allow me to unravel my thoughts on this study as they came about...

Romans 64 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life

2 Corinthians17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come

Ephesians 4:2424 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:1010 and have put on the new self

A qualitative change of identity has already occurred in the lives of believers. It now only remains for them to bring their behavior into line with their new identity

Created after the likeness of God further shows the connection with the original creation in Genesis, where “God created man in his own image”

Romans 66 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin(rule of sin) might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin(no longer in Adam but in Christ)

Commentary on verse 6The power of sin has been broken in those who believe, for their old self (lit., “old man,” meaning who they were in Adam) was crucified and put to death with Christ. They were born into the world as sinners, with the result that their bodies were ruled by sin. Body of sin refers to the rule of sin, but without excluding the involvement of the personal self that lives through the body. Sin's rule, however, was broken when Christians died with Christ, and therefore they are no longer enslaved to sin. Paul does not argue that Christians do not sin at all (a view called sinless perfection); instead, the tyranny, domination, and rule of sin have been defeated for them. This means that the normal pattern of life for Christians should be progressive growth in sanctification, resulting in ever greater maturity and conformity to God's moral law in thought and action.

Romans 611 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus

Commentary on 11Dead to sin means dead to the pervasive love for and ruling power of sin. Christians must realize that the mastery of sin has been broken in their lives

Wow..When I see the word Mastery of Sin(ruling Power)..that brings up a whole different idea of this SIN..Not just good versus evil sin...but a SIN that rules the earth and has Mastery over all of earth...except for those that die to Sin and are alive in Christ..This sin is much more powerful than I have ever realized until today..I had no idea that SIN was Ruler of all Earth.. I mean I knew that Satan is the ruler of Earth and that he is sin himself..but that Sin had mastery over the people is further proof for me that I need Jesus and without Him I am totally and completely helpless against this Sin..I can not defeat it alone or with my own will power..That would be like me competing against a Master Fighter( 12th degree black belt).. What are the chances I would win..NONE..This has helped me to realize just how powerful Sin is and how powerful Satan is with this SIN..If this were something so easily defeated, then why need Jesus at ALL.. We cant defeat this SIN with out Jesus...but since He has defeated Sin and Death in His resurrection, then we can also defeat this Sin if we die to Him and Live with Him..

Romans 612 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions

Commentary on 12The tension surfaces here between what God has already accomplished and the responsibility of his people to obey. They are still tempted by desires to sin and must not let those desires gain control. Each day they must give themselves afresh to God.

The result of our "newness of Life" is verse 14

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

commentary on 14sin will have no dominion over you. This is not a command but a promise that sin will not triumph in the lives of Christians. Because they live in the new era of fulfillment, they are no longer under the old era of redemptive history; that is, they are no longer under law, where the Mosaic law and sin ruled over God's people. By contrast, under grace means living under the new covenant in Christ, in an era characterized by grace

I think if people really understood just how powerful Sin was and how much Rule sin had, they would see the need for Christ..but many do not see this Mastery..They have the two columns of Good and Bad and feel like they do much more good than Bad..therefore they is good..without realizing just how pervasive Sin is and how much rule it has over all of earth..That to me is a critical link to understanding how much we need Jesus..I mean for me I have known for some time that I needed Jesus for a whole host of reasons and that without Him I could do nothing..or least most things..(that is how I felt)..I believed that I had the ability to fend off some Sin if I just had my mind right and "dug in"....I laugh at this idea now because I was fighting a fight that I could never win and Satan was smiling at my belief that I could take him on by myself..and Satan was just luring me in little by little till he could get a stronghold..Mastery is no joke..that word just hits home for me and makes me realize just how power this foe is..and if we do not call on the Lord Jesus Christ to help us with this battle, we will fall victim..no matter how hard we try..or no matter how good we think we might be..It is with Jesus and no other way..He is the only one who has rule over Sin and Death and has already defeated both..Praise God !!

Boy just typing this out and reading it again brings up many emotions inside my mind and causes me to fall to my knees at the power of Christ!!

Father, may I grasp the power of sin in the human life and its abilities and may I lay hold of you and your might to take over my life and defeat this foe..to set me free from the tyranny and bondage of sin...so that I may rise and walk in newness of life..and live set apart from this world and surrendered to you...and Oh Father..May you reign in my heart unrivaled and unchallenged.. In Christ Name..Amen